Valerie D. Johnson, a native Philadelphian now living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, is an author, speaker, Math Resource Specialist, and Lead Teacher, with a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. She has written and published articles in educational journals and magazines.  

Valerie has a passion for working with parents!  She developed a parent program, Parent Lunch and Learn, that has had 100+ parents at its yearly parent workshops.  Her parent program ideas have been featured in publications such as Ideas Staff Can Use and 101 Ways to Create Real Family Engagement.  Also, she has written and was awarded educational grants to create and send home math take-home toolkits to help support learning at home. She has facilitated workshops for local and national organizations such as Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Staff  Development for Educators (SDE), VA State Parent Teachers Association and Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM) etc. on various math topics, learning styles and supporting academic success at home. 

Valerie is a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Kappa Delta PI International Honor Society in Education, Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and many other community organizations. 

Her debut book, Count With Me on Granddad's Farm, was inspired by summers on the farm with her grandparents and her lifelong passion for reading and math. Valerie's book is a celebration of family, learning and discovery and a multi-generational bond between grandchildren and grandfathers, while also teaching young readers to count to ten. She looks forward to creating new stories for upcoming generations and is currently writing her second book and hopes to help children develop a positive attitude about math and reading and think of themselves as both readers and STEAM stars thru heart-warming stories and bold, beautiful illustrations.